Spring Training Preview 2005: New York Mets
March 15, 2005
by Alexander Washburn

All what I told you about the Mets last year still remains. I still believe in the ability of Jose Reyes and I still believe in the ability of Kaz Matsui. I still believe the right tools are in place and that better days for the Mets are not far off.

That was last year and of course things didn’t quite turn out that well. Truth be told, the Mets were not as bad as their second to last place finish says they are. Remember, for parts of last season, the Mets were a game out of first and were in the thick of the NL East race well after the All-Star Break. The same Mets that finished one rung from the NL East cellar also won five of six against the Yankees, and foreshadowed things to come, when they swept the Bombers in their last inter-league series.

Injuries to Reyes, Matsui, Cameron, Floyd and Piazza, as well as injuries to key middle relief pitchers slowed down the Mets last year. So, let it be known that the key to continued development of this team remains the one obstacle that no amount of money can solve; staying healthy.

An everyday lineup of: Reyes, Matsui, Beltran, Piazza, Floyd, and David Wright, will win ballgames this year. The young core of Reyes, Matsui and Beltran will win many more ballgames in years to come. David Wright could very well be the best prospect the Mets have had since, well, Jose Reyes. A defensive gem and power hitter, he will remind us all of Scott Rolen as the year proceeds. Look for 25 homeruns, solid defense and a batting average near .300 for David Wright.

I'm sorry but the reports of Pedro Martinez’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. Such esteemed publications like the Miami Herald have called the Mets signing of Martinez one of the worst off-season signings, citing the giant salary Pedro will be receiving over the next four years.

Perhaps the Herald thinks every team has the Marlins’ indie movie budget to work with and thus must be overly frugal. The Mets, with their own television station on the way and coming out from under Piazza’s giant contract, have money to burn. Plus, who is the Herald to talk about bad signings? Didn’t the Marlins sign a limited, injury-prone again superstar this off-season?

Truth be told, Pedro is not breaking down and as worthless as other GM’s who missed the boat on signing him would lead you to believe. Those who say Pedro is a six-inning pitcher are telling you their opinion, because they have no stats to back it up.

In Martinez's 33 regular season starts last year, he failed to go six innings just five times. He went exactly six innings six times and he went more than six innings 22 times, two-thirds of his starts. That's better than such superstar pitchers like Carlos Zambrano and Barry Zito. Last season, from pitches 91-105, batters hit just .187 off of Pedro. Last year, in innings 7-9, opponents hit .226 off Pedro, which was better than batters in innings 1-6 which hit .239 off him.

The rest of the pitching staff holds up really well next to Martinez. Don’t forget that the Mets have Tom Glavine and if a power pitcher who doesn’t stay healthy all year like Randy Johnson can get headlines, than one of the best finesse pitchers of all time, should command a little respect.

Kris Benson was a star in Pittsburgh and pitched admirably for the Mets for half of last year. Benson is a workhorse, totaling over a 200 innings and striking out over 150. Steve Traschel is also under-rated and can be counted on once again for double digit wins and not a lot of walks. And when you have a pitching coach like Rick Petersen who schooled Oakland’s Big Three, than you have to believe that better days lie ahead for Victor Zambrano.

There is not a baseball team out there that is happy with their middle relief. The Mets lack the big names of Gordon and Donnelly, but with Scott Strickland due back from Tommy John surgery, veteran Mike DeJean, as well as stockpile of young arms, the Mets pen will need to step up for the team to have real success in 2005. In the closer role, Looper is as good as any guy not named Gagne, Rivera, Lidge or Nathan.

Last year, I predicted the Mets would have a record of 83-79. They finished 71-91. This year, with Beltran in the lineup and the emergence of Wright and Reyes, I feel this year they can finish four games over .500.

(Alexander Washburn is a staff writer for 2 Walls Webzine and asks baseball fans to visit his 2 Walls Blog over the next few weeks, as he tours spring training sites throughout the Grapefruit League.)